By Lauren Fix
There are some really ugly and poorly built cars on the road. Some are gone forever. Some just stand out in the crowd.
Here are 15 of the world’s worst cars ever built. The years range from the 1950’s to present day. Some you may have heard of, and some you may not. There are many, many contenders for the title of worst car ever made–so many in fact that picking the absolute worst isn’t easy. How could these manufacturers miss the mark even in this day and age? Some models still haunt the brands to this day.
The list is no particular order and please add your idea of the worst car in the comments below.
2004 Chevrolet SSR
GM’s retro creation, hot-rodded its way right off the assembly line. According to some, it was plain heavy, under-powered, and lazy. Definitely NOT what America would consider a hot rod. This truck was very polarizing and did not sell well.
2001 Pontiac Aztek
Most people disliked it because its unusual design looked like a strange three-eyed monster. It was supposed to be a family vehicle. The goal was to create a futuristic car that would set the bar for other automakers to match. Unfortunately, due to the many designers who worked on the Aztek, the car was left half-baked. The Aztek is one of the most devastating failures in automotive history. They put the best of their designers on the project. Rumor was they were fired after consumer and media feedback.
Chrysler PT Cruiser / Convertible
This was Chryslers attempt at creating a hot rod. The late Nineties was a difficult time for Chrysler. It was in partnership with Mercedes, and the German firm wanted to make cuts to bring Chrysler back into profitability. The PT Cruiser (PT standing for Personal Transport) the concept’s transition to reality was not very successful. There was a taller roof with larger windows that you could actually see out of, and the overall design was more upright. In the US, Chrysler classified the car as a truck, in an effort to bring down the average emissions of its commercial vehicles. Whoever decided to add a convertible to the line-up probably had good intentions, but the execution was sad at best.
1985 Yugo GV
The creator of the Bricklin also created the Yugo GV. Simply put, the engines gave up, the electrical system would fry and eventually something would inevitably fall off. Dubbed “the Mona Lisa of bad cars”, the Yugo should probably just have given up before it even started, right along with its 5-gallon gas tank that was not practical.
The vision of this car was to offer the cheapest automobile in the U.S.; unfortunately, it was also the worst. The car was imported from Yugoslavia and sold in the United States for $4,000. In reality, it was worth around a tenth of that price.
Its interior was filled with too many plastics, which meant it should have been even cheaper. When an automaker fails in the luxury department, they make up for it in the performance or something else, but Yugo failed in all aspects. The car was blessed with a harsh and jarring driving experience, which was made even worse by terrible steering and handling. It begs the question, “Yugo, or no go?” Consumers answered that question. The Yugo is still the butt of many jokes today.
1978 AMC Pacer
Produced from 1975-1979 and then sold out in 1980. The body surface was 37 percent glass. Came in a 2-door hatchback and a 2 door station wagon. The pacer’s creator was the same person that came up with the Gremlin idea. It was promoted by AMC as the “first wide small car.” Production only lasted a few years for this little wide small car.
Consumers called it the fishbowl, as the rounded glass just made the car ugly.
1966 Peel Trident
The Trident was built on the Isle of Man in the 1960s. The world’s smallest car measuring 4 feet and 2 inches in length. The Trident was an example of a futuristic bubble car like you’d see on the cartoon, The Jetsons. It offered either two seats or one seat with a detachable shopping basket, and of course its clear bubble top made it one of a kind resembling a UFO. This is a cute museum car, at best.
Chevrolet Citation
According to the dictionary, a citation is usually defined as exemplary conduct. Unfortunately, the Chevrolet Citation, turned out to be pretty much the exact opposite of that. Clearly, the car suffered from being a rush job to such a degree that it eventually became its downfall. The Citation’s end was eventually brought on by the US Government’s decision to file a lawsuit against General Motors to tackle the tsunami of complaints filed by various X-body car owners.
The car was raved about all over the media and seemed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, at least in the world of automobiles. However, it later turned out GM had duped car magazines of the time. They were all given specially modified versions of the car, in which the serious torque steer had been engineered out. By the third year, sales dropped, by 1985, the gig was up and the car was off the market.
Ford Pinto
The Pinto had a tendency to burst into flames in rear-end collisions. Though the car really wasn’t as bad as some on the list, it did have some issues, but stayed in production until 1980. There were over 3 million produced in its lifespan. Unfortunately, 1.5 million were subject to recall in 1977 due to the defective fuel system. The Pinto was marketed two ways; one as a three-door hatchback, and one as a three-door station wagon. Surprisingly, there are collectors of these little cars.
1970 AMC Gremlin
Long in the front, and short in the back–the Gremlin was an odd looking beast with a heavy 6-cylinder engine with choppy handling because of the lack of back. It was AMC’s attempt to create a subcompact car before Ford and GM had the chance. The Gremlin came in a 2-seater and a 4-seater design. Love them or hate them, Gremlins were produced until 1978, and folks still think of them as worth preserving, but you certainly don’t see many of them today. The commercials were great, “Hey Lady, where is the back half of your car?”
1958 Ford Edsel
There were 18 different iterations of Ford’s Edsel, starting in 1957, and right at the beginning of a recession. The Edsel was supposed to be everything America was looking for but it seemed to be doomed from the beginning. Consumers and critics cited the Edsel as ugly and overpriced. Unfortunately, production only lasted for two years and then was stopped. Back when they were made, they were a huge disappointment, but presently they can fetch thousands of dollars for collectors.
1957 King Midget Model III
This little box of a car had a 9 hp motor, and was known as a utility vehicle. Eventually, government safety standards won, stopping the production of the Midget mini cars. These mini cars were first sold in a kit, complete with chassis, axles, springs, steering assembly, instruction manual and patterns for the sheet metal all for under $300.00. By the end of its era, the mini cars were sold as completely assembled cars by the Midget Motors Corporation, and looked similar to jeeps in present day.
Cadillac Cimarron
The Cimarron was the perfect example of good-looking cars that are best avoided. The car featured an exotic styling that gave an impression of sophistication and luxury, but that’s the farthest it could go with good things. Its build quality meant that it couldn’t go do much more than cruising city streets. Among other negative aspect of the Cimarron was its snail-like pace. Introduced in 1981, the car sold at a huge price of $12,131. The Cimarron marked the beginning of the fall of Cadillac, causing damage that the company still has not recovered from to this day.
1957 to 1991 Trabant
Germany is well-known for some of the best automobiles in the world with one exception–the Trabant. This one was a disaster on wheels. Dubbed the people’s car, the Trabant was supposed to replace the Volkswagen Beetle. How successful was that? Its design and engineering were a serious afterthought. The list of problems for this car was endless. To start with, its body panels fell off at high speeds. Its two-stroke engine sucked oil like a vampire drinking blood. The car didn’t have any safety features at all; no turn signals nor brake lights.
2002 – 2007 Saturn Ion
The Ion is yet another common player in lists of the worst cars ever built. Despite showing a promising start as America’s answer to Toyota and Honda cars, Saturn desperately needed some refreshing and they settled for the Ion. Unfortunately, the beginning of the Ion was the beginning of the fall of Saturn. The Ion didn’t answer anything, Toyota and Honda continued bringing their cars to the United States. The car was plagued with poor build quality, a wretched interior, and bad styling. But there was a no-haggle price.
1973 – 1981 Reliant Robin
The car is the butt of countless jokes, the Reliant Robin was missing more than a wheel and will be remembered as one of the worst cars ever. The Reliant Robin three-wheeler borders on not being a car at all. The Robin’s basic formula had been the backbone of Reliant car production since the company’s founding in 1935. This would be a hard-pass for most drivers.
I know this list does not feature all the worst cars. Add your worst car suggestions in the comments below. I’m looking forward to your thoughts.
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, analyst, author, and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news, and safety issues.
Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows, including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, Community Digital News, and more. Lauren also co-hosts a regular show on ABC.com with Paul Brian called “His Turn – Her Turn” and hosts regular radio segments on USA Radio – DayBreak.
Lauren is honored to be inducted into the Women’s Transportation Hall of Fame and a Board Member of the Buffalo Motorcar Museum and Juror / President for the North American Car, Utility & Truck of the Year Awards.
Check her out on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenFix.
